Richard Berkeley (died 1661)
Richard Berkeley of Stoke Gifford and Rendcomb both in Gloucestershire, England, served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1614.
Origins
Berkeley was the only son and heir of Sir Henry Berkeley of Stoke Gifford and Rendcomb of Stoke Gifford, who in 1553 rebuilt the manor house at Stoke Gifford by his wife Muriel Throckmorton, a daughter of Thomas Throckmorton, of Coughton Court, Warwickshire, twice MP for Warwickshire eldest son and heir of Sir Robert Throckmorton of Coughton by his wife Muriel Berkeley, a daughter of Thomas Berkeley, de jure 5th Baron Berkeley. The Berkeley family of Stoke Gifford was descended from Maurice de Berkeley, killed at the Siege of Calais, who had acquired the manor of Stoke Gifford in 1337, the second son of Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire.Career
He matriculated at Magdalen College, Oxford on 4 February 1592 aged 12. In 1614, Berkeley was elected as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire. Berkeley supported the King in the Civil War and on 2 February 1647 he compounded and was fined at £370 on 6 February. On 11 April 1649, he was assessed at £150. On 1 August 1649, he was to be discharged on payment of £60 but, on 5 December 1651, he was ordered to pay £80 extra on old rent. Having paid it, on 30 January 1652 his assessment of £100 was discharged and sequestration was taken off his estate. Berkeley died in 1661 aged 83.Marriages and issue
Berkeley married twice:- Firstly to Mary Roe/Rowe, a daughter of Robert Roe/Rowe of the City of London, and of Knotts in the parish of Leyton, in Essex, a Haberdasher, by his wife Eleanor Jermy, a daughter of Robert Jermy of Antingham, Norfolk. Mary Roe/Rowe's only brother was Sir Thomas Roe, Knight, a diplomat, scholar and Member of Parliament. The Rowe family was of Kentish origin and included three Lord Mayors of London in the 16th and 17th centuries. Berkeley survived his first wife Mary Roe/Rowe by 46 years. His issue included:
- Secondly he married Jane Meriett, a daughter of Sir Thomas Meriett/Marriott of Strowdes Place/Vyne's Place in the parish of Remenham in Berkshire. Without issue.